Delta-lactones, such as 5-substituted delta-lactones, are important flavor and aroma constituents and are found in many natural products. These compounds can be used either directly or as intermediates in the flavor, fragrance, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. For example, delta-decalactone and delta-dodecalactone are used in coconut and butter flavorings, respectively; jasmine lactone (5-hydroxy-7-decenoic acid delta-lactone) and jasmolactone (tetrahydro-6-(3-pentenyl)-2H-pyran-2-one) are key jasmine fragrance ingredients; and massoia lactone ((R)-5,6-dihydro-6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one), a naturally-occurring, unsaturated decalactone is extracted from the bark of the Massoia tree at great expense for its desirable flavor profile.
Previous preparations of 5-substituted delta-lactones often require labor intensive multistep syntheses and/or use of petrochemicals as starting materials.
This invention relates to cost-effective methods of producing 5-substituted delta-lactones using easily accessible renewable, biologically-derived feedstock and application thereof in the industry of, e.g., flavors, fragrances, pharmaceuticals and/or cosmetics.